Tangible Distance
by Viscaria-Flora
Summary: Yuichiro Amane didn't think too much of the address on the paper that had been handed out to him. It didn't occur to him that the person he would be writing to would have their future entwined with his own for years to come.
1. The First Domino

WHAT IS THIS. A WORK NOT YU-GI-OH RELATED? Yes, this is my first fanfic outside of the Yu-Gi-Oh realm, but hey, it's time I step out of my familiar realm and try something new, right? Anyway, yeah! This is a PenPal AU of Owari no Seraph to cope with where the anime, manga, and light novels are headed. I am so excited for this work, so I hope you guys like it!

* * *

Yuichiro Amane didn't think too much of the paper that had been handed out to him.

The person in charge of the orphanage gave all of the children papers with addresses on them, and Yuichiro picked up the paper with an intense stare. Whose address was this? It didn't seem like they were from any place in Japan.

The paper read:

" _Mr. Mikaela Shindou  
_ _ul. Lesnaya d. 5, kv. 176  
g. MOSKVA  
102938  
RUSSIAN FEDERATION"_

"Director, what is this?"

The woman came back around and glanced over his paper. "You will be writing to another child around your age somewhere around the world. It is optional, but highly recommended. Why don't you give it a try, Yuu?"

Yuichiro's stare tore from the paper to the woman as she spoke. "Because it's a stranger. My mom said talking to strangers is bad."

The director laughed and walked away.

Yuichiro frowned and returned to looking at the paper. The person's name was… Mikaela, and Mikaela lived in Russia. A girl. He was going to be writing to a girl from Russia?

When directed to do so, Yuichiro pulled out a piece of paper and a crayon and began to write.

" _Dear Mikaela,_

 _I don't think you're a real person. Director Minori said you are, but I don't think so. Send me something to prove to me you are real._

 _From, Yuichiro"_

He didn't understand why Minori tried to cover up a smirk upon reading his paper while she collected the letters. He didn't get what was funny about asking a serious question.

And just like that, he forgot all about the letter.

It had been over a week since he sent his paper away, and all traces of the idea had entirely slipped from his mind. He hadn't even recalled what he had been doing just minutes before when he was approached by Director Minori and given an envelope. "For you, Yuu."

Yuichiro glanced up from the crayons he had been rearranging to the rainbow and down to the paper handed to him. "What is it?"

"Your letter to your pen pal. They wrote back to you."

There was a spark of excitement and uneasiness pooling in his stomach as fingers grasped paper, his emerald eyes looking straight for the writing on the front. His name was written a bit more legibly and neatly than the way he wrote to his receiver, and it was… in pen.

"Wow, they wrote in pen?" Yuichiro mumbled to himself. "I'm only allowed to write with crayons."

Minori laughed and left him alone to attend another child's needs, though the boy didn't quite pay attention as to where she went and why. It felt good to have his privacy as he tore the envelope open. He didn't understand why he was so eager to read the paper from a stranger so far away.

Sure enough, he couldn't read a thing.

"Director Minori!" Yuichiro called for the older woman, leaping from his seat to race to her and yank her hand from a crying child. "This is stupid. I can't even read what it says!"

"Just a moment, Yuu. Go and wait for me over there, I'm a little busy here, okay?" She asked politely, though he was sure to have caught a hint of exasperation in her voice.

Yuichiro groaned his reply and marched his way back to his spot, eyes glancing over the paper again. It was quite difficult to read, for sure, but there were two things he could read; his name, and the others. He set the letter down and went back to arranging the colors on his table, watching as the director gave the sobbing kid from before something to chew on. She scooped the toddler in her arms and walked back over to Yuichiro, gazing over the baby down to the paper. "What's the matter, Yuu?"

"I can't read this, I don't know what it says," he answered gruffly, resting his chin in his hand. "What's the point of this if I can't even understand what they're saying?"

Minori knelt down beside him and set the toddler on her lap, taking a crayon and glancing over the words. Underneath, she translated the words written to him into things he could understand. "Your pen pal wrote in kanji. All you know is hiragana, for now." She finished writing out the message after a minute or two, and stood back up. "It looks like I'll be your translator until you learn how to read kanji. Is that okay with you?"

Yuichiro took the letter with a huffy 'thank you' and set it on his lap. "Can I just get a different pen pal? One that I can talk to?"

Minori shook her head. "You'll just have the same problem, Yuu. Now, if you think you're going to need me again, please just wait until I set Chieko here into her crib to sleep. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Yuichiro gave her a small nod, and the woman picked the baby up to take to her crib. He watched as she left, and turned his eyes to the letter.

 _Dear Yuichiro,_

 _I am real. My name is Mikaela, and I live in Russia. Thank you for writing to me. Do you think we can be friends from now on? I would like that very much._

 _Sincerely, Mikaela_

Sure enough, Mikaela was a real person. How she knew Japanese was beyond him, even more so than he knew. Still, the doubt lived on, and he took a dark green crayon and wrote on a piece of paper.

 _Dear Mikaela,_

 _I still don't think you're real. Send me a picture of yourself or something. Or else how am I supposed to know anything about you?_

 _From, Yuichiro_

Was he doing what he thought he was doing? Was he seriously going through with this silly little game and writing to someone he didn't even know? He couldn't even meet this person, let alone understand her without his director's help. As strange as this concept was to him, he couldn't help but admit quietly to himself that he was excited to hear from his pen pal.

It was a silly idea, but thrilling.

"Minori!" He yelled.

"Just a moment, Yuichiro. I'm not finished yet."

That's right. He wasn't supposed to call for her yet. She was too busy with the baby to pay attention to anything else. He didn't care too much to even bother waiting, leaping to his feet and rushing to her desk to look for envelopes. Drawer after drawer, and he still couldn't figure out where those elusive papers were. He was still unsuccessful as the director eventually returned to her office to see him sprawled over her chair, having claimed defeat.

"Yuichiro!" She exclaimed, stifling a laugh.

"I got impatient," he muttered matter-of-factly, holding his letter up. "This is for Mikaela. I want to send another one."

Minori smiled knowingly and unlocked a drawer to his left, taking out the envelope box and pulling one out. "I thought you weren't interested in talking to strangers, Yuu."

Yuu groaned, sitting up. "I'm just giving it a try like you said. I'm not expecting to go very far with this."

She didn't argue with him, though he could tell she knew better. She took the pen from her counter and wrote the addresses on the paper, reaching near her computer for stamps on the side and sticking it on the corner. "Stuff the letter in here and close it, and it will be on its way."

Yuichiro nodded and complied, folding the letter as neatly as possible before sliding it inside. He licked the flap closed and handed it back to her.

"Now run along and play. You'll hear from your friend again in about a week."

Nine days passed, and Yuichiro gave the thought the time of day in fleeting but frequent moments, occasionally looking for the stack of letters that would appear in the black box set on Minori's desk. Day one through five and he hadn't let the wait bother him, as he knew Mikaela was from an entirely different country. But after the fifth day, his eyes never left the office. Why did it have to take so long to get something back? Was it all just a scam? Did Mikaela forget to write him? He itched to have the answer.

After the ninth day Minori approached Yuu with an open letter, the message already translated to hiragana. "This came for you today. Mikaela even sent you a picture."

"Good! I was hoping she would!" Yuichiro peeled himself from the grass and took the letter in his hand.

Minori giggled behind her hand, and Yuichiro didn't understand why until his eyes befell the picture themselves.

Mikaela was a boy.

In the picture, the boy was holding onto the two ropes of a swing, smiling brightly to the camera. He had unruly blond hair and beautiful blue eyes, and it took Yuichiro a few minutes to comprehend that this person, Mikaela Shindou, was a real person, a boy his age, and writing to him.

"Don't forget to read what he wrote to you," his director reminded him as she took her leave.

He had entirely forgotten about the letter itself, having been immersed in the surprisingly beautiful picture that was sent to him. He set the picture down to read the letter, reminding himself to thank Minori later for the translation.

 _Dear Yuichiro,_

 _This is me! My father took a picture of me while we played today. I think it's your turn to send me a picture of yourself. I want to see you too._

 _Sincerely, Mikaela_

Yuichiro caught himself beginning to smile and tried his best to wipe it off his face, standing up from his spot. "Minori!"

"Yes, Yuu?" The woman called from her office, and Yuichiro had the luxury of not having to wait for her to be available to bother her.

"I need help sending a picture of myself to Mikaela." He ran to her desk and showed her the letter. "He says he wants to see me next."

Minori smiled and reached into her desk for a camera. "I saw. Now tell me. Is this still not a good idea?"

Yuichiro frowned, folding his arms. "Fine… I guess this is a good idea. I like it."

She nodded and held the camera to face him. "I'm glad. Now smile!"


	2. Building Blocks

In a matter of weeks, the stack of letters in the black box by the children and their pen pals slowly dwindled away, inactivity claiming them away from maintaining communication. And in a matter of weeks, Yuichiro and Mikaela became inseparable.

In a month, Yuichiro learned Mikaela's favorite color was blue, that he had a stray cat that would occasionally come to his house to play, and that he had no brothers or sisters. His birthday was May 1st, and he was eight years old, just like he was. Yuichiro shared with him his picture (which he personally didn't like because he had been caught blinking, but thought he could maybe get a laugh out of his friend), his favorite food, and his own favorite color. While the other children got bored of their pen pals and stopped writing to them, Yuichiro made sure to send another letter as soon as he received them.

"Save these for me, Minori," Yuichiro requested, plopping all the letters he had gotten from Mikaela on her desk. "The other kids are trying to get into them, and they won't leave me alone."

"Yuu," Minori took the papers and glossed them over, folding wrinkles in the letters back into shape. "Don't you think you're spending too much time writing and not enough time making more friends here? I'm glad you enjoy writing to your pen pal, but you've forgotten about playing with the other kids. They miss you."

Yuichiro listened as she spoke. Even though she was probably right, there was a lack of a connection with the other children that he felt with his friend. He didn't really want to socialize, knowing he wouldn't feel the same with them as he did Mikaela. "Maybe."

"I see you sometimes, Yuu." With a smile, she tapped on the empty black box. "I see you come into my office every day to see if a letter for you arrived. Tell me, do you really like writing to your pen pal that much?"

The boy lowered his head and nodded. "Kind of. I mean, he always has a lot to say. Everyone else here, they're always wanting to do things their way, or else they cry. Mikaela always listens to me."

The director took a look at the most recent letter she had translated for him:

 _Dear Yuichiro,_

 _I hope you don't get mad, but I showed my dad the picture you sent me, and he laughed as much as I did at it. You have a cute smile, but you look like you are going to sneeze! I will put this picture on my wall along with my mom and dad. What did your parents say about my picture?_

 _Sincerely, Mikaela_

"It seemed Mikaela really liked the picture you sent him," she commented with a laugh.

Yuichiro frowned, giving her another paper scribbled with crayon on it. "I didn't like it. I'm still kinda mad you didn't let me take another one, but it's not a bad thing. I have another one to send him."

Minori took his paper and set it down on her lap. "Again, I'm really glad you're enjoying this pen pal writing. But please, won't you spend some more time playing with the other kids? I'll let you know the next time another letter comes in for you. Do we have a deal?"

Yuichiro huffed and folded his arms. "Fine, but the second they start hitting me and crying, I'm pushing them down the slide."

"Please don't do that, Yuichiro."

She referred to his full first name whenever she was mildly irritated with him. He didn't mind, his comment warranted that response. He just shot her a cheeky grin and raced off.

Boys will be boys. The director took a look at the letter Yuichiro wrote to his friend.

 _Dear Mikaela,_

 _Don't be dumb, I just blinked, okay? And I don't have parents. I live in an orphanage with lots of other kids. The scary lady in charge said you looked sweet and friendly, but I think she was just lying. Just like how she lied to me about my picture._

 _Hey! Don't show that ugly picture to anyone else! And take it off your wall, I look stupid._

 _From, Yuichiro_

"The scary lady in charge, huh?" She asked herself, leaning back in her chair. "Alright, Yuichiro. I'll give you something to be scared about."

* * *

Yuichiro stepped outside to find all of the younger kids playing in the playground, looking among them to see who he could get along with. Ah, some of the boys were playing in the sand and building castles while a toddler stepped on them and enraged his friends. To his right, the girls were drawing in the cement with chalk and playing hopscotch. He didn't really feel like getting sand in his clothes or chalk on his hands, a sigh leaving his lips as he dragged his feet over to the swing set. Seeing it reminded him of the swing in the picture Mikaela sent of him, and it piqued his interest to play on them. Two kids had already occupied the only swings, and so he maneuvered around and waved to them.

"Hey, how long have you guys been on the swings?" he asked, awkwardly lowering his hand. "I want to play on them next."

"Well, you have to wait, Yuu-chan," the boy called, kicking his feet up as it hit sand and unintentionally threw some in Yuichiro's face. "We just got on them five minutes ago."

So much for that. "Fine, I'll go somewhere else-"

"Wait!" the girl slowed her swing to a stop and smiled at Yuichiro the second she caught his eyes. He had been rubbing them to get rid of the sand and growling at the same time, and his frustration made her giggle. "No need to get mad, Yuu-chan. I'll let you use my swing!"

"No, its fine," he answered with a huff, blinking the pain away. "I'll can wait."

"I'm done playing anyway. I have too much dirt on my hands from the swing."

He gave her a long puzzled look before taking her up on her offer and taking his seat on the swing. She wasn't all that new to the orphanage, as she was there before Yuichiro was, but he recalled some of the younger kids saying she was welcomed into the orphanage only just a year ago. "Thanks… uh…"

"Akane," she answered his unspoken question, stepping behind him. "You're not too good with names, are you, Yuu-chan?"

He shook his head, holding onto the chains and kicking his feet up. "Not really. And Minori says I'm not good with making friends either. But it's not my fault."

"No one said it was," Akane stepped back further and further as Yuichiro gained momentum, helping his speed by pushing him whenever he swung back to her. He looked back in confusion but allowed her to push him. She continued, "There are lots of kids here, and even I don't remember everyone here. How long have you been here now?"

"Six months," he answered dryly, though not directing his bitterness towards her. He couldn't help but dwell on his past whenever he was allowed to think about when he had arrived to the orphanage. His mother was dead, he remembered that. Not of her body, but of the fact that he wasn't able to see her anymore. His father wouldn't let him. The only touches he could recall of his father were of the beatings he would deal him, the mysterious but strong smell always lingering on his clothes and in his breath. Where his father was now, he didn't know, but he didn't care enough to want to know.

Akane sensed Yuichiro's mood plummeting and tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Yuichiro did his best to withdraw from his thoughts. He didn't feel like sharing them now, especially to someone he didn't feel too close to. One day, he'll open up to someone—but not now. Definitely not now. "Nothing. Just thinking." He swung higher and higher, and decided to change the subject. "Hey Akane, do you have a pen pal?"

The girl smiled brightly. "I do! His name is Jacob, and he lives in America. He hasn't written to me in a while, though. Maybe he just forgot." She stepped back again just before getting hit by Yuichiro, and pushed him again. "What about you, Yuu-chan? Who's your pen pal?"

Yuichiro turned his head back as best as he could to look at her, grinning. "His name is Mikaela, and he lives in Russia. I'll show you his picture later." He let go of one of the chains and held his arm out as if he was pretending to fly. "It takes me a while to hear from him, but I like getting his letters. He writes in kanji and in pen too."

Akane slightly frowned. "What's so bad about not writing in pen? Didn't you have a bad problem with a pen once?"

"Minori says I'm not allowed to talk about it." He sighed. "You were probably napping when it happened."

"Now I'm really curious."

Yuichiro snickered and slipped his arms through the chains to jump off the swing. He landed quite roughly in the sand, but was able to bounce back on his feet and brush himself off. "I just think it's kinda stupid to call Mikaela my pen pal if I write to him in crayon, you know?"

Akane laughed. "You're right, Yuu-chan. It is silly." She turned her head to the door to hear Minori calling the children inside to eat, and motioned him to come alone with her. "Let's go inside and eat! If you sit next to me, we can talk about our pen pals some more."

That was more than enough to convince Yuichiro to bolt on inside, retrieve the picture of his friend from his desk, and run back to her.

* * *

Spending days with Akane became a surprisingly helpful way for Yuichiro to pass the time between letters. The next time he walked through to the office, it had been almost two weeks since he sent his letter to Mikaela. He tapped on the door to catch the director's attention, and he made his way inside. "Minori," he called to her, "did the letters come in yet?"

Minori was typing away on her keyboard, eyes glued to the screen and unwavering their focus. "I said I would let you know, didn't I, Yuu? Your letter got delayed because of a storm, so Mikaela won't be receiving it for at least another week."

Yuichiro's stomach dropped. She could have at least let him know. Now he had to wait even longer to hear from his friend? He felt his patience was nothing but a waste, as he had to wait even further. Before she could let the thought sink in and depress him, Minori's façade cracked and she laughed.

"I'm joking, Yuu. A letter came in for you today." She watched as his head sprung up in excitement, promptly handing the opened paper to him. "Next time, though, you might want to be careful about calling the person in charge of your letters names where she can see them."

Yuichiro gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry Minori. You really aren't that scary, but I'm not so sure anymore." Her jaw dropped, and he ran out laughing before she could say anything else. He made his way to his favorite spot and took his seat, where Akane walked beside him.

"Is that from Mikaela?" she asked, and Yuichiro nodded.

"It is. I finally got something from him."

He let her sit next to him and showed her the paper, letting her read beside him.

 _Dear Yuichiro,_

 _I just learned what an orphanage is from my dad, and it made me sad. You don't have parents? But there are lots of kids just like you there, so that must mean you have lots of brothers and sisters. You still have a family, so maybe it isn't so bad for you, I think? And I really like your picture, it fits the way you talk to me._

 _Also, why do you write in crayon? Are pen pals not written to in pen in Japan?_

 _Sincerely, Mikaela._

At least someone in this world understands him.


End file.
